The Cincinnati Bengals originally kept five tight ends on their initial 53-man roster raised an obvious question: What exactly does Zac Taylor plan to do with all of them?
For Tanner Hudson we already know the answer, as he was released today.
As for the other TE's the answer could involve more 12 and 13 personnel, something Cincinnati has experimented with as it looks for ways to make Joe Burrow's offense less predictable. But those labels may not tell the entire story, especially when one of the tight ends is Mike Gesicki.
Gesicki is officially a tight end. Put him on the field with two other tight ends and the Bengals are technically in 13 personnel.
The problem for a defense is that Gesicki doesn't always play like a tight end.
What is the difference between 12 and 13 personnel?
Personnel groupings are identified by the number of running backs and tight ends on the field. The first number represents running backs. The second represents tight ends.
So, 12 personnel means one running back and two tight ends. That leaves two wide receivers on the field. 13 personnel means one running back and three tight ends, leaving room for only one traditional wide receiver.
Typically, seeing 13 personnel tells a defense to prepare for a heavier offensive formation. Three tight ends can give an offense additional blockers at the line of scrimmage and create favorable numbers in the running game.
That can lead a defense to counter with bigger personnel of its own.
That's where Cincinnati can make things complicated.
Mike Gesicki muddies the distinction
Calling Gesicki a tight end is technically correct. From a personnel standpoint, that's exactly what he is. His 2025 usage tells a much different story.
Gesicki lined up in the slot on 233 of his 320 offensive snaps last season, a staggering 72.8% of the time. He also ran a route on roughly 83% of Cincinnati's passing plays when he was on the field.
Compare that with Drew Sample, who ran a route on only about 35% of his passing-play opportunities, and the difference between Cincinnati's two "tight ends" becomes obvious.
Gesicki is a tight end on the roster sheet. On the field, Cincinnati frequently treats him much more like an oversized slot receiver.
That distinction could become particularly important if the Bengals lean further into 13 personnel this season. Imagine Cincinnati breaking the huddle with Gesicki, Sample and Erick All Jr. alongside Chase Brown and Ja'Marr Chase.
By definition, that's 13 personnel: one running back, three tight ends and one wide receiver.
But then Gesicki walks into the slot.
Suddenly, what was supposed to be a heavy three-tight-end formation doesn't look particularly heavy anymore. Cincinnati still has Sample and All available around the formation, Chase isolated outside and a 6-foot-6, 245-pound Gesicki occupying essentially the same space as a slot receiver.
The personnel grouping hasn't changed. The presentation has.
Creating a decision for the defense
This is where the Bengals could turn Gesicki's unusual skill set into an advantage. If a defense sees three tight ends entering the huddle and responds with traditional base personnel, Cincinnati can spread the formation and potentially force a linebacker or safety to deal with Gesicki in space.
That's a matchup Joe Burrow will gladly investigate before the snap.
But suppose the defense anticipates Cincinnati spreading Gesicki out and responds to 13 personnel with extra defensive backs.
Now Taylor can condense the formation again, leave two more traditional tight ends near the line of scrimmage and potentially run Chase Brown against a lighter defensive box.
And Cincinnati doesn't have to substitute to move between those looks.
That's important because without an offensive substitution, the defense can’t respond with substitutions of its own. If Cincinnati keeps the same five skill players on the field, it can move between heavy and spread formations while forcing the defense to live with whatever personnel it originally chose.
Gesicki is the player who makes that distinction particularly difficult.
Cincinnati's tight ends don't all have to do the same job
That also helps explain why keeping five tight ends isn't necessarily as excessive as it initially appears.
Sample provides Cincinnati with a more traditional blocking presence. All has the potential to contribute both as a blocker and receiver. And rookie Jack Endries showed throughout the preseason that he may be capable of providing more versatility than expected.
And then there's Gesicki.
His 2025 production reinforces how different his role can be.
Gesicki caught 28 passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns despite playing only 13 games. After returning from a pectoral injury in Week 12, he caught 20 of 26 targets for 246 yards and two touchdowns over the remainder of the season. His PFF grade over that stretch jumped to 78.8, sixth among tight ends.
So Cincinnati isn't simply putting Gesicki in the slot as window dressing. He can be productive there.
The Bengals don't need five versions of the same tight end. Having players with distinctly different skill sets is exactly what gives these personnel packages their flexibility.
Joe Burrow could be the biggest beneficiary
Ultimately, the advantage isn't simply getting three tight ends onto the field. It's giving Joe Burrow information.
If Cincinnati breaks the huddle in 13 personnel, the defense has to make a decision about how it wants to defend it. Burrow can see that decision before the Bengals ever snap the football.
Bring bigger defenders onto the field and Cincinnati can potentially spread them out. Stay smaller and the Bengals can potentially tighten the formation and attack on the ground.
And because Gesicki spent nearly three-quarters of his snaps last season aligned in the slot, defenses already know Cincinnati is perfectly comfortable treating its tight end like a receiver.
That's what could make this version of 13 personnel so intriguing. On the roster sheet, Cincinnati may have three tight ends on the field.
However, the defense might see something entirely different in the formation.
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